Calming Anxiety | Guided Meditation, Sleep Hypnosis & Panic Attack Relief

Why Not Ask Miss Price? by L. M. Montgomery — A Heartwarming Thanksgiving Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Get cosy, let the autumn evening settle around you and drift towards sleep with this warm, heartwarming Thanksgiving short story by L. M. Montgomery, the beloved author of Anne of Green Gables. Why Not Ask Miss Price? is a gentle tale of kindness, a spare place at the table and a family dinner that changes a lonely life, read slowly and softly as a bedtime story for adults who want to wind down, ease insomnia and fall into deep, restful sleep.

 

This year sisters Frances and Alma Allen have been trusted with the whole Thanksgiving dinner, from the mincemeat and the cakes to the guest list. It's to be the same time-honoured family gathering as ever, fourteen around the table, until a letter arrives to say that jolly Aunt Clara can't come after all. Now there's one empty chair, and nobody can agree on who should fill it.

 

Then their mother quietly asks, "Why not ask Miss Price?" Bertha Price is the pale, painfully shy little teacher from the primary school, who lives alone in a cheerless boarding house and seems to have no one in the world belonging to her. The girls aren't sure at first, but their kind hearts win, and Frances goes to deliver the invitation herself. What happens when Miss Price comes for Thanksgiving dinner, and meets their brother Ernest's friend Maxwell, is a story to warm the coldest autumn night.

 

If you enjoy this classic audiobook reading, you'll find more of L. M. Montgomery's short stories in the Books at Bedtime series from Calming Anxiety, including The Softening of Miss Cynthia, A Fortunate Mistake, Ned's Stroke of Business and Davenport's Story, all perfect for a relaxing sleep audiobook night.

 

Why Not Ask Miss Price? was first published in 1904 and is collected in Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1904. L. M. Montgomery (1874–1942) has been in the public domain for many years, and this reading is shared freely for your rest and relaxation.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett.

 

📱 Listen to Books at Bedtime in the Anchored app, offline and with the screen off, so you can fall asleep without a bright phone in your hand:

 

iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669

 

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored

 

🧡 For Martin's calming tips, visit: https://calminganxiety.org/calm

 

Sleep well, my friend. And in everything, be kind.

 

 

Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!

 

YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1

 

Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/

 

Music: All music by Chris Collins at Indie Music Box

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety-guided-meditation-sleep-hypnosis-panic-attack-relief--4110266/support.

Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.

Why Can't I Just Switch Off? — A 10-Minute Guided Meditation for a Busy, Racing Mind | Calming Anxiety's 7th Birthday

 

Can't switch off? You've stopped for a moment but your mind hasn't, one thought leading to the next, the things you need to remember, the things you haven't finished, the things that might happen tomorrow. This 10-minute guided meditation for a busy mind and anxiety relief shows you that you can have a racing mind and still take a moment to rest, without needing to find all the answers first.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett, today is also a very special one: Calming Anxiety turns seven! Thank you to every single one of you who has listened at any point along the way. Take these calming practices with you every day in the Anchored app, on iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 and Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored

 

Together we settle into the support beneath you, notice the ordinary breath you already have, then follow a gentle counted breath, in for three and out for four, with that slightly longer exhale to help a busy nervous system soften. You'll learn how to let a thought pass without chasing it, receive five kind affirmations for rest and overthinking, and leave with three practical daily caring tips. Plus, grab Martin's free guide, 5 Things to Try When Anxiety Hits, at https://calminganxiety.org/calm

 

⏱️ Time Chapters

* 00:00 – Why can't I just switch off?

* 00:33 – Welcome from Martin

* 00:46 – Happy 7th birthday, Calming Anxiety

* 00:58 – Finding your quiet place and the support beneath you

* 01:48 – Noticing the breath you already have

* 02:39 – Gentle counted breathing: in for 3, out for 4

* 04:19 – When a thought pulls you away

* 05:03 – Today's gentle affirmations

* 06:30 – Affirmations, once more

* 07:21 – Letting the words settle

* 07:44 – Your 3 daily caring tips

* 08:39 – Gently returning to the room

* 09:21 – Martin's free guide: 5 Things to Try When Anxiety Hits

* 09:58 – Until tomorrow, be kind

 

🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations

Let these words settle softly in your thoughts, no need to believe them perfectly:

* I can let a thought pass without following it.

* I am allowed to rest while some things remain unfinished.

* I can return to this moment with kindness.

* I do not have to work everything out right now.

* For this moment I can let myself be supported.

 

💡 3 Daily Caring Tips

1. Give the thought a place to wait: If the same reminder keeps circling, write one short sentence somewhere you trust. Give it a place to wait so you can return to it later.

2. Create a small ending: Close the laptop, put the work away or change into comfy clothes. Let the ordinary action mark a moment when you are allowed to stop.

3. Turn towards something simple you can feel: When you notice yourself trying hard to become calm, notice your feet on the floor, your hands resting together, or the support of your chair. Give yourself a few minutes.

 

📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere

Seven years, over ten million listens, and every one of them started with someone like you taking a moment for themselves. Thank you, truly. Keep your daily calm close in the Anchored app:

iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored

 

And for Martin's free guide, 5 Things to Try When Anxiety Hits, visit https://calminganxiety.org/calm

 

If today helped even a little, please share this episode with someone whose mind won't switch off, and leave a 30-second rating or review on Apple Podcasts. It's the most wonderful birthday present you could give the show, and it helps the next anxious listener find us.

 

Take care of yourself, my friend. I'll be right here again with you tomorrow. And in every thought, word and deed, it's simple, be kind.

 

 

Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!

 

YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1

 

Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/

 

Music: All music by Chris Collins at Indie Music Box

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety-guided-meditation-sleep-hypnosis-panic-attack-relief--4110266/support.

Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.

The Softening of Miss Cynthia by L. M. Montgomery — A Heartwarming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Settle in and let this tender, heartwarming short story by L. M. Montgomery, the beloved author of Anne of Green Gables, ease you gently towards sleep. The Softening of Miss Cynthia is a quiet tale of a hardened heart, a lonely orphan boy and the slow return of kindness, read softly and slowly as a bedtime story for adults who want to wind down, ease insomnia and drift into deep, restful sleep.

 

Miss Cynthia lives alone in her big, spotless house, keeping neither man nor maid, and she likes it that way. Then one evening an express wagon pulls into her yard and a thin twelve-year-old boy climbs down with his trunk. He is Wilbur, the son of the stepbrother she grew up with, who has died far away in California. With his last wishes he sent the boy to his "good and kind" Aunt Cynthia.

 

But Miss Cynthia has grown sharp and set in her ways over the years. She has never been used to children, she tells her gossiping neighbour Mrs. John Joe, and she has no intention of keeping him. So Wilbur is sent off to work for a hard farmer down the road, and all summer long Miss Cynthia can't quite escape the sight of his pale face. What follows is a gentle story about conscience, forgiveness and how even the hardest heart can soften, set against a glowing autumn of crimson maples and warm October sunshine.

 

If you enjoy this classic audiobook reading, you'll find more of L. M. Montgomery's short stories in the Books at Bedtime series from Calming Anxiety, including A Fortunate Mistake, Ned's Stroke of Business, Davenport's Story and The Parting of the Ways, all perfect for a relaxing sleep audiobook night.

 

The Softening of Miss Cynthia was first published in 1904 and is collected in Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1904. L. M. Montgomery (1874–1942) has been in the public domain for many years, and this reading is shared freely for your rest and relaxation.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett.

 

📱 Listen to Books at Bedtime in the Anchored app, offline and with the screen off, so you can fall asleep without a bright phone in your hand:

 

iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669

 

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored

 

🧡 For Martin's calming tips, visit: https://calminganxiety.org/calm

 

Sleep well, my friend. And in everything, be kind.

 

 

Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!

 

YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1

 

Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/

 

Music: All music by Chris Collins at Indie Music Box

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety-guided-meditation-sleep-hypnosis-panic-attack-relief--4110266/support.

Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.

Welcome back to Anxiety Breaker, the daily sanctuary for your mind. I’m Martin Hewlett, a clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic. Whether you are listening during a mindful walk, winding down in the dark after a long day, or looking for immediate anxiety relief, you have given yourself permission to pause. If you are ready to take your healing deeper, you can find the full Anxiety Breaker Course over at calminganxiety.fm.

Today, we are exploring a powerful concept for emotional regulation and nervous system regulation: finding the quiet space between what happens to us and how we choose to answer it. In a fast-paced world, learning how to pause before reacting is one of the most effective tools for coping with stress and reducing daily anxiety.Time Chapters
00:00 – Finding Your Calm: Guided Breathing for Anxiety Relief
01:18 – Settling the Body: Shifting Out of Fight or Flight
01:54 – Deep Breathing Exercise: The 4-7 Breath for Panic and Stress
04:45 – Mindful Affirmations for Inner Peace and Self-Regulation
07:49 – 3 Daily Caring Tips: How to Respond, Not React
09:48 – Gentle Outro & Loving Mindfulness Practice
Affirmations for Internal PeaceDuring this segment, gently repeat these empowering phrases internally to rewire your response to stress:
I am allowed to pause before I respond.
There is a space between what happens and what I do next, and that space belongs to me.
I do not have to answer the world at its speed; I can answer at my own.
I am responsible only for what I do with my reactions, not for the automatic thoughts that rise.
When my thoughts race, I can slow them down, one deep breath at a time.
I respond from a place of calm and clarity, not from fear or noise.
3 Daily Caring Tips for a Happier Life
1. Take a Single Breath: Before you reply to a frustrating text, email, or comment today, take exactly one slow breath. This single breath is your gap—it is where your perspective and mental clarity live.
2. Name It to Tame It: When a heavy emotion rises, quietly label it to yourself (e.g., "This is frustration," "This is anxiety"). Naming an emotion provides immediate emotional distance, keeping you from getting swept away.
3. Ask, "Does This Need Me Right Now?": Not every stressful situation requires your immediate energy. Some things can wait an hour, some a day, and some don't need you at all. Protecting your peace is an act of self-care.
Outro & Share the CalmIf these few minutes brought a sense of stillness to your day, please think of one person in your life who might be struggling with stress or anxiety right now, and share this episode with them. It costs nothing, and it might be the exact lifeline they need today.Remember to love who you are today—not the polished version, just you, exactly as you are. Head over to calminganxiety.fm to check out the Anxiety Breaker Course and our community resources.Take care, I'll see you tomorrow, and above all... be kind.

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Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!

YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1

 Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/

Backing Music: Chris Collins

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Affiliate links to the gear I use the items that give me a more tranquil life.

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Items I use for a more relaxed way of life :)
Organic Pure Hemp CBD Capsules - https://amzn.to/3

Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.

A Fortunate Mistake by L. M. Montgomery — A Heartwarming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Settle in, soften your breathing and let this gentle, heartwarming short story by L. M. Montgomery, the beloved author of Anne of Green Gables, carry you softly towards sleep. A Fortunate Mistake is a sweet summer tale of friendship, kindness and a misaddressed note, read slowly and calmly as a bedtime story for adults who want to wind down, ease insomnia and drift into deep, restful sleep.

 

Lively Nan Wallace has sprained her ankle, and on the very day of the long-awaited school picnic she's stuck on the sofa with nothing but a vase of pink climbing roses for company. So she asks her sister Maude to write a quick note inviting her friend Florrie Hastings to come and cheer up a poor invalid for the afternoon.

 

Meanwhile, quiet Florrie Hamilton, the new girl in Winboro and the only one at Miss Braxton's school left off the picnic list, walks home feeling more hurt than she would ever admit. Then a dainty, perfumed note arrives for her, and she decides to be brave and accept. What follows is a tender story about shyness, snobbery and how one small slip of the pen can open the door to a friendship that lasts a lifetime.

 

If you enjoy this classic audiobook reading, you'll find more of L. M. Montgomery's short stories in the Books at Bedtime series from Calming Anxiety, including Ned's Stroke of Business, Davenport's Story, The Parting of the Ways and The Story of an Invitation, all perfect for a relaxing sleep audiobook night.

 

A Fortunate Mistake was first published in 1904 and is collected in Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1904. L. M. Montgomery (1874–1942) has been in the public domain for many years, and this reading is shared freely for your rest and relaxation.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett.

 

📱 Listen to Books at Bedtime in the Anchored app, offline and with the screen off, so you can fall asleep without a bright phone in your hand:

 

iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669

 

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored

 

🧡 For Martin's calming tips, visit: https://calminganxiety.org/calm

 

Sleep well, my friend. And in everything, be kind.

 

 

Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!

 

YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1

 

Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/

 

Music: All music by Chris Collins at Indie Music Box

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety-guided-meditation-sleep-hypnosis-panic-attack-relief--4110266/support.

Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.